Love Is for Suckers

Just some thoughts...

I've completed the show and glanced through the other reviews. I think that there are enough reviews that give fairly good synopses (I had to google the plural for synopsis...never had to write that word before. Lol). Anyway, I just wanted to leave some of my own personal thoughts on the drama.

I thought that the actors interpreted and delivered their roles well. I was disappointed, though, that while I could feel the friendship, and even the love that the main leads had for each other, I didn't see any actual passion in their love. And while that's ok in real life....many have love and friendship in their relationships and that's all they need...I didn't think that it translated into a good love story for a k-drama. Basically that means the chemistry just wasn't there in my opinion.

What I did enjoy was the relationship between John Jang and Park Ji Wan. I would have loved to have seen much more of them on screen. I thought their chemistry was amazing. Or maybe it was simply the story of the underdog getting a win. But, tbh, although she was portrayed as such, I never considered Ji Wan as an underdog because she was the prettiest female in the cast...again, my opinion.

Also, Dae Hwi. Idk, there's something about him. As a kpop fan, every time I see him on screen, I have a habit of screaming "Dae Hwi!" LOL. (Idk why, it's just a thing. He impressed me on something he said once, and made me a fan.) So, although I hadn't looked at the cast, within the first 2 minutes or so of the show, I was yelling his name in excitement. And the fact that I loved his character just made me like him better. He portrayed Sang Woo, who never gave up on his ideals and never betrayed his principles, regardless of the situation.

(My daughter also pointed out that Choi Si Won was also an idol, and it made me wonder if I'd missed any others.)

The drama overall held my attention fairly well. I thought they could have done better with the "Kingdom of Love" show that much of the drama was based around. If that had been a real show on television, I'd have skipped it. I loved Yu Reum's supportive parents. I loved the friendships that Yu Reum had. And the relationship between Dae Shik and Hye Jin is something for everyone to strive for. Dae Shik is such a loveable character, and his attitude is everything.

I was disappointed that they didn't do anything with the camera exposure of Chae Ri's one night stand with Jang Goon. And there were a few more storylines they could have gone with, and chose to ignore or edit out. So my satisfaction wasn't quite fulfilled.

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Fun dating show drama

I enjoyed the incorporation of dating shows into this drama because I recognized some of the references to "I Am Solo" which made it more fun to watch. Also the FL's career as a variety show producer provided some interesting glimpses behind the scenes of those productions. Several secondary characters who weren't very nice people at the beginning of the show gradually improved, and there was a welcome happy ending for a fat female contestant! Also love Choi Siwon and Lee Da Hee was great, it was interesting to see a genuine friends-to-lovers drama without a needless childhood connection.

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“Love is for Suckers” wasn’t a perfect show, but I really enjoyed it. Here’s my breakdown ❤️

Pros:
• The overall cast and characters were awesome. Each of the people faced real life issues (infertility, eating disorders, sexual assault, deep insecurity, etc), leaving us with some very relatable flawed people. I especially loved our second couple. They were brilliant.
• The drama! This does a great job parodying modern dating shows, and adds lots of flair itself that is almost cheesy but just plain fits 😂. But it also knows how to get serious and deliver a moment that can—and did for me—have you in tears.
• The writing is also pretty good here. I found that, even when I wasn’t vibing with the main leads, the show itself kept me engaged. And it was paced well to the end.

Cons:
• Needed more romance. For a show dedicated to finding love, the leads could have given us more chemistry, and the writers could have given us more moments to actually enjoy them together in a happy way. Also, the second main leads were awesome. I think we deserved at least a kiss!
• Starts slow. The first few episodes won’t probably grip you. But hold on. I was hooked by episode 5.
• Could have had a happier ending. I appreciated the way a lot of loose ends were wrapped up, but I feel like there should have been more of a healing and joyful end to the show. After all the angst—and there is almost too much of it—I was hoping for a cheesy-grin, squealing as I watch it kind of wrap up.

Overall, if you’re looking for a romcom, this one is a good one to spend your time on. After some flops in the drama department, “Love is for Suckers” was a great change of pace.

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The Korean drama Love is for Suckers only got a rating of 0.843% at the beginning of the episode, after that it rose to 1..%, this continued for 15 episodes, only rising slightly to 2.172% in the final episode (Source: AGB Nielson).

This drama is so sad.😭😭

Similar to the fate of the Korean drama Sh ** ting Stars, which also only received a rating of one point. But the Korean drama Love is for Suckers is superior.

Since the beginning of the episode, the audience has been immersed in the story told by the writer-nim in a sequence. About Goo Yeo-Reum (Lee Da-Hee) who is always cheerful and full of enthusiasm. About Park Jae-Hoon (Choi Si-Won) who cuddles. As well as how the two support each other. The chemistry between the two is very strong.

The scenario writer also tells about Goo Yeo-Reum's solid family background. Husband and wife Park Dae-Sik and Oh Hye-Jin who always support Goo Yeo-Reum and Park Jae-Hoon. So that the characters of the two main characters stand out.

The series of stories fell apart in the middle of the episode, especially when presenting the reality show scene of 'Kingdom of Love'. Makes it boring so I often have to skip it.

It got worse towards the end of the episode. The story of the Korean drama Love is for Suckers is widening everywhere. As well as many scenes that seem forced into the drama. Long-winded and boring.

In fact, instead of telling about Han Ji-Yeon, a woman who has a big crush on Park Jae-Hoon, or the story of Kim Sang-Woo (Goo Yeo-Reum's assistant), why not tell about the success of Goo Yeo-Reum and Park Jae-Hoon in having a baby tube?

Or the story of Park Jae-Hoon's mother who had to struggle after her husband died. Even though she is told as a rich woman, her existence is really needed to emphasize the character of Park Jae-Hoon who is slengean, but firm and loving.

Whatever the end of the story (however, happy ending, but not very exciting), the Korean drama Love is for Suckers deserves to be chosen as an entertaining drama during spare time. This drama can be watched while chatting, cooking and doing other activities without fear of missing the point of the story.

Fans of Lee Da-Hee and Choi Si-Won must also watch. His second acting in the Korean drama Love is for Suckers makes him emotional. Swear! 😊😊

The next review can be here: https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2023/01/love-is-for-suckers-review-drama-korea.html

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LOVE SUCKERS

The drama started on a decent pace with few things to look forward to. It was somewhat fine for the first 5 episodes until the drama made its biggest mistake with the reality show plot. It killed the story, romance, characters and ruined the overall vibe of the show. Completely shifting the structure and tone to something different entirely. The reality show plot became the center focus and didn't give room to let the characters work on their problems, instead we got a handful of cheesy lines that lacked any sincerity. Somewhere along the way they forgot to add romance for the leads but, regardless, the leads relationship was the farthest thing from being healthy and would eventually lead to misery. They never really worked on their relationship like adults but instead the whole thing was drenched with empty sweet talk. What I'm trying to say, the drama failed to offer a serviceable comedy, romance, slice-of-life or human drama. Lee Da Hee charms weren't enough to carry.

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An OK Love Story

I placed a spoiler alert at the end of this review.

I like the behind-the-scenes reality show approach with the main love storyline. However, I have a problem with the side storylines that they introduced. The script was really great up to episode 11 which is where it goes off track. Although it was still entertaining, I found the ending a bit weak. See potential spoiler alert at the end of this review for more information. The cast was wonderful and did a great job with their character. It also has great cinematography. The editing was great for the most part. I found the costume choices for some of the characters a bit odd, but this is only a minor problem for me.

Random Note: Once again, the synopsis for this series on VIKI is completely inaccurate. About the only information that is correct is the characters’ names and job titles. Do the people that write the synopsis actually watch the series? Sorry, I’ll end my outburst now.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

I appreciated the script introduced some important subject matters, such as sexual abuse, eating disorder, bipolar disorder, and PTSD. However, I’m greatly disappointed on how it approached them. They should have done a better job with this.

The script really started to lose itself by episode 11. Especially during the end of episode 11 and beginning of episode 12. I kept asking myself where the hell are all the security guards. A large-scale production would have guards all over the place. They didn’t even have one guard at the gate, which was wide open, for night security.

The ending of the series does not link up to the first scene we see in episode 1. What was the point of including this scene if they were not going to go back to that point in time?

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Main leads that didn't feel like main leads

I was genuinely so frustrated with how little romance we saw from the leads.
From episode 5 to episode 10, I was genuinely so frustrated wit the route the show was taking. I didn't care for Ji-Yeon's character and seeing them drag out that stuff was simply annoying to watch.
Overall there was a lot going on and it felt like they focused their attention on things I wouldn't particularly care for.
Give me scenes of the couples bonding instead of yet another scene where characters just... Talk.. Those scenes are nice but when I've been seeing more interactions between yeo reum and her parents than with her love interest, it becomes a problem.

Otherwise I really did love the couples. They had really good chemistry and their moments were overall nice.

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this is a tasty salad.

what I mean by salad? this drama has a bit of everything. you LL find love, one sided crushes, family issues, friendship, revenge, hatred etc.
I really liked this drama but it is far from perfect.

the main plot line revolves around our FL and her work as a pd on tv channel. she faces issue in her private and professional life.

the story per SE is compelling and entertaining. the strong point of this drama to me is its realizability. we have a far from perfect main leader. she is almost 40, not married, chaotic love life and her carrier as a pd is not at the point she wishes. fortunaly she is surrounded by good friend and a loving family.
let my tell you... the side relationships in this drama are the best parts. it could stop my self from tearing up at every interaction of the FL with her parents or her married couple of best friends. the side relationships are really sweet.

her best friend turns out to be.. surprise surprise... her main love interest. nothing groundbreaking there but I feel even though she was a bitch to him sometimes, the struggles of going from friends to lovers are real. if you ever experienced it, it is a bit of a confusing moment.

I liked that the FL wasn't a Mary sue. she was far from perfect, messed up but always owned up to her mistakes.

what I didn't like about the drama is that with 16 episode they could have done more. many themes were inserted but never explored. the other pd family history? never gets explained.
one of the reality show contestant facing ed issues? never explored. and so on.

i wish they did more with the rivalry between the 2 pd's.

the reality show scenes were kinda boring to be honest. we never get to know the contestants that much. it was really shallow . I think It was a wasted opportunity.

the last couple of episodes also feel a bit crammed. there was too much stuff they could have explored better in more episodes.

overall it's a good drama. nothing shocking but it leaves you with good vibes.

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Love is for the cutie pie couple (Park JiWan & John Jang) not The ML or FL.

I’ve had my fair share of terribly written dramas but never seen one such as this. How a writer can write the side couple way better than the main leads is beyond me.

When this first aired I wasn’t interested. It’s only because of tictok that I even watched this in the first place. I saw clips of Park Ji Wan and John Jang all over sns. The plot is okay. It’s light hearted and easy to watch. What’ll frustrate you is the cat and mouse dance between the main lead couple. Personally after ep 5, I started skipping scenes when the ml’s would show up in because I just couldn’t watch how terribly their plot was written.

If you’re looking for something to pass the time while your currently aired dramas are on, go ahead. Just don’t expect much from it

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " Love Is For Suckers " is a romantic comedy that includes a dating variety program in its plot.

The drama has two things going for it. First of all, the side couple was adorable, they had a sweet and funny story, along with great chemistry. Also, the redemption of the chef was smoothly done and an interesting side plot to follow.

In addition, the second female lead was a strong lady whose story was probably more interesting than the main female lead's, especially since her character had more spine, even though her story wasn't properly presented.

However, the rest of the drama didn't have anything new to offer. The romance was boring and offered few surprises. Not to mention that the couple had few moments together, relying heavily on their common background story to justify their romance. The love triangle was predictable and boring as well.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable, especially by the actors and actresses of the side characters.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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